Windows Tools, Help & Guides

The PC Maintenance Handbook is now available. This handbook is designed to help you find ways to maintain your Windows XP/Vista/7 PC and ensure your PC remains clean and speedy throughout its life. Computers quickly get bogged down by junk files, invalid registry entries, a fragmented hard drive, spyware, adware, low disk space, and more. A speedy system is just a few clicks away, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start or even what to do.

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The PC security handbook is now available. This handbook is designed to help you find ways to protect your Windows XP/Vista/7 PC and ensure your data is safe.

The purpose of this book is not to define the ultimate solution; its purpose is to give you simple, unbiased advice on what I’ve found to be the best options out there. In this handbook, I only give advice and share programs that I’ve used for at least a year. Some programs seem good when you first use them, but quickly annoy you or slow down your PC.

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Windows 7 comes with plenty of new features.  Notably, Libraries.

In Windows 7, the Libraries are not individual folders by themselves. Each library folder is an aggregate of various different folders and each library view is tailored to specific content.

By default , MS have provided us with four libraries.  Documents, Music, Pictures & Videos.

What if you want to add a custom Library and assign a specific icon to it?

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This is an excerpt from the Windows Guides PC Security Handbook. To learn more or find out other security-related tips, download the PC Security Handbook now.

Data backup is essential. If you’d like to explore local backup options, download my Windows pocket guides. I strongly recommend using online (off-site) backups. Backing up your data online prevents data loss if your computer is damaged or stolen—or if your data is wiped by malware.

Online Data Backup

By far my favorite solution for online backup is Mozy. Mozy offers free online storage (up to 2GB with paid options too.) I’ve had Mozy installed on my laptop for over two years and it has saved me on more than a handful of occasions.

Setup is simple and after downloading Mozy, you can specify what you want to back up and when. Mozy will automate your backups and let you decide when it backs up (specific times), what causes it to back up (low CPU usage), and how often (one, two, three etc. times a day.)

I just let Mozy run and it alerts me after a successful backup:

You can specify what types of files to backup or specify folders— it’s up to you:

Mozy even integrates into My Computer so you can browse and restore your backed up files (even ones you’ve deleted from your computer):

MozyHome Features

• Open/locked file support: Mozy will back up your documents whether they’re open or closed.
• 128-bit SSL encryption: The same technology used by banks secures your data during the backup process.
• 448-bit Blowfish encryption: Secures your files while in storage, providing peace of mind that your private data is safe from hackers.
• Automatic: Schedule the times to back up and MozyHome does the rest.
• New and changed file detection: MozyHome finds and saves the smallest changes.
• Backs up Outlook files: Disaster-proof email protection.
• Block-level incremental backup: After the initial backup, MozyHome only backs up files that have been added or changed, making subsequent backups lightning fast.

Download Mozy for Free

Download MozyHome Free

There are hundreds of Matrix-style screensavers available online. However, many are not free and many come packed with a virus to keep you busy, repairing your computer, on the weekend! Here is a free screensaver that comes with some nice extra features.

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• Download this 4-part series as a PDF (Parts 1-4 +Extras)
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

How do you like the look of this Media Center?

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